Razor-blade-sharpening machine



Jan. 11,1927. 1,614,302

J. HOLTZMAN I RAZOR BLADE smnpgume MACHINE Filed March 5, 1922 Eyes.

INVENTOR Patented Jan. 11, 1927. T

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOLTZMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BENJAMINROMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAZOR-BLAlJE-SHARPENING MACHINE.

Application filed March 3, 1922. Serial No. 540,872.

This invention relates to razor blade p sharpening machines andparticularly to the type that is utilized for sharpening doubleedgedflexible safety-razor blades, such as are used in connection with thewell known Gillette razors.

The invention herein is an improvement upon the machine shown anddescribed in my previous application for Letters Patent, filed May 27,1921, Serial No. 473,052.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional end elevation of the razor-bladesharpening machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 show details of the machine.

Figs. 5 and 6 show modifications of details of the machine.

Upon the axle 1, Figs. 1, 2, is fixed a sharpening roll 2, whichcomprises a core 3 made preferably of wood, an exterior layer or rim 4made of any suitable material or composition that affords an eflicientsharpening, honing, or stropping surface, such as rubber, leather, etc.,and a mutilated or hollowed out portion 5. The axle 1 is rotatablymounted in bearings 6 of the casing 7 of the machine, whereby the roll 2is free to rotate in any direction. A pinion 12 is keyed upon the axle1, a pinion 13 is mounted upon a stud 14 secured to the wall of thecasing 7 a pair of similar gear-segments 15, 16 form part of a hub 15which is keyed upon a rotatable drive-shaft 8 mounted in bearings 9 ofcasing 7, and said'sectors are disposed oppositely to each other in themanner shown. To the shaft 8 is secured a crank 10 and handle 11,whereby revolving of the crank in a clockwise direction, as viewed inthe drawing, will freely rotate said drive-shaft 8 and segments 15, 16accordingly. The segment alternately meshes with and unmeshes from thepinion 12, the segment 16 alternately meshes with p and unmeshes fromthe pinion 13, and the pinion 13 is in constant mesh with the pinion 12.As the crank, therefore, is revolved, the segment 15, due to the ratiosof their diameters, rotates the pinion 12 together with the roll 2 afull revolution in a counterclockwise direction. At the end of thisrevolution the segment 15 unmeshes from the pinion 12, and the segment16 then commences to mesh with the pinion 13 and therethrough transmitsa reverse rotation to the inion 12, which then rotates together with theroll 2 a full revolution in a clockwise direction. As the revolving ofthe crank 10 is continued, this operation of the roll 2 is thuscontinuously repeated, viz, the roll performs one anti-clockwiserotation and then backwardly a rotation in a clockwise direction, thenagain two similar reciprocating rotations, etc. The gear-segments 15, 16are preferably spaced apart at 15 in such manner whereby during theunmeshing of the last tooth of the segment 15 from the pinion 12 thefirst tooth of the segment 16 commences its mesh with the pinion 13,which action thus prevents free or ungeared rotationof the roll 2 duringthis change of transmission or direction of rotation.

Above the roll 2 is located a blade-holder 17, which is rotatablymounted in bearings 18, 19, of the casing 7. Said blade-holder comprisesa shaft 20 the extremities 21, 22 of which are journaled in saidbearings 18, 19 respectively, a cut-out flattened portion 23, and a bar24 which is pivoted to the shaft 20 at 25 and has an extremity 26 whichpasses through and fits into a recess 27 formed in the shaft-journal 22.The double-edged flexible safety-razor blade 28, which is to besharpened, is inserted into the blade-holder 17 and held thereby, bymeans of placing it upon the flat face 23, of shaft 20, with itsopenings 29, that are provided in the Gillette type blades, slippingover a pair of pins 30 projecting from the shaftface 23, and then thebar 24 may be swung about its pivot 25 to a position against the bladeas shown. The bar 24 is securely locked in place by means of the cover33 supplying a counter-part half-bearing for the shaft extremity 22; thesaid cover being hinged at 33 and locking securely to the casing at 33",by means of the spring-snap device 33. When the bar 24 is in lockedosition shown, the pins 30 pass into recesses 34 formed therein. Toremove the blade 28 from its holder 17 it merely requires opening andswinging back of the cover 33 to release the bar-extremity 26 and thenswinging the bar 24 upwardly about its pivot 25. Upon the sector-shaft 8is keyed a gear 53 which meshes with a similar gear 54 rotatable looselyupon the roll-axle 1, and to the ear 54 is secured a disk 40, providedwith a ear-segment 41, which disk is also rotatable loosely upon theaxle 1, whereby for no each revolution of the gear-segments 15, 16 oreach two reciprocating rotations of the roll 2 a single revolution in ananti-clockwise direction is imparted to the sector 41. Upon theblade-holder shaft 20 is keyed a gear 35, which meshes with the segment41, and as the ratio of the latter to the gear 35 is that of one-half toone, the gear 35, blade-holder 17, and blade 28 receive half arevolution in a clockwise direction for each two reciprocating rotationsof the roll 2 and each revolution of the segment 41 and crank 10. A pairof oppositely disposed arms 36 are keyed upon the shaft 20 adjacent tothe gear 35. Upon the axle 1 is keyed a disk-cam 39 having a multilatedportion 39, in alignment with the mutilated portion 5 of the roll 2. I

A spring 57, Figs. 3, 4, is secured to a lug 58 forming part of thecasing 7, and the terminals of said spring bear against flattenedportions 59 of the blade-holder shaft 20, whereby said spring normallytends to dispose the blade-holder so that the blade 28 is radial to theaxle 1 and within the mutilated portion 5 of the roll, when said portion5 is opposite to the blade, as shown in Figs. 1, 2. As the roll 2performs its anticlockwise rotation, and assuming that the gearsegment41 has just meshed with the gear 35, as shown in Fig. 1, and thuspositioned the blade 28 with its edge 46 clownwardly, the roll-shoulder42. which is suitably configurated, strikes the blade 28 and flexes it,contrary to the disposition thereof by the spring 57, thereby causingits edge 46 to land upon the roll and to exert pressure of its edge-side47 against its periphery so that as the roll rotates it effectivelysharpens this edge-side. During this sharp ening operation the blade 28is maintained fixed, in the operative position, by means of the arm 36bearing against the periphery of the rotating disk-cam 39. When the arm36 is thus in engagement with the disk-cam 39 and is retained by thelatter in the operative position, it maintains the blade 28 at arequisite inclination or angularity relatively to the periphery of theroll 2, which permits proper flexure thereof and disposition of itsedge-side 47 at a proper tangency to the roll 2, for executing efficientsharpening thereof. l/Vhen the blade 28 is in the angular sharpeningposition and against the roll the spring 57 tends to partially rotatethe blade-holder and swing the blade radi ally to the axle 1. Uponcompletion of the first anti-clockwise rotation of the roll 2,therefore, the spring 57 restores the bladeholder 17, blade 28, and arms36 to their previous positions with the blade-edge 46 disposed withinthe mutilation 5 of the roll. The roll 2 now performs its second and reverse or clockwise rotation, and causes the same blade-end to be flexedoppositely and the opposite arm 36 to engage the cam 39 for retention ofthe blade in proper sharpening state, in the above described manner,thereby subjecting its adjacent edge-side 48 to operative sharpeningpressure against the rollperiphery, so that, as the roll performs thisrotation it effectively sharpens this edgeside. In the swinging of theblade 28 it is not obstructed by the roll 2, due to its passing throughits mutilated portion 5, and the arm 36 is not obstructed by the cam 39,due to its mutilated portion 39. At the completion of the secondrevolution of the roll 2, the gear-segment 41 meshes with the gear 35and thereby imparts half a revolution to the blade-holder 17, the arms36, and the blade 28, which action thus directs the blade-edge 43 intothe mutilation 5 of the roll 2. As the roll 2 now performs its thirdrotation in an anti-clockwise direction, it strikes the blade, flexesit, and sharpens its edge-side 44. At the completion of the thirdrevolution of the roll 2 the blade-edge 43 is still directed into themutilation 5 by the spring 57 and the fourth edge-side 45 is brought tobear against the roll-periphery, and as the roll performs its fourthrevolution in the clockwise direction it accordingly sharpens thisedge-side effectively.

if desired the terminals of the arms 36 may be provided with rollers 56,as shown in Fig. 5, which will tend additionally to reduce the friction.between these two elements. Should it be desired to sharpen double-edgedrigid or non-flexible blades, a crescent-shaped spring 62 may be securedto the terminals of the arms 36, as shown in Fig. 6, which will causethese springs to intervene between the arms and the cam 39. In thismanner resiliencywill be imparted to the arm 36 while it bears againstthe said cam, and the rigid blade will thereby bear resiliently againstthe roll 2, which resilient pressure of the blade against the roll isessential in the sharpening of rigid blades.

As the gear ratios of the segments 15, 16 to that of the pinions 12, 13is that of two to one, it will be evident that for each two revolutionsimparted to the operating crank 10, the roll 2 will automaticallysharpen each of the edge-sides 47, 48, 44, 45 of the blade 28individually and successively, and as the revolving of the crank iscontinued the sharpening of all the four sides of the two edges of theblade is continuously repeated until the razor-blade becomes completelyand efliciently sharpened. WVhen the sharpening of the razor-blade iscompleted,

the same may be readily removed from the machine and another blade maybe inserted in the holder 17, and a similar sharpening operation may be,performed thereupon. It will be evident that any other type ofbladeholder may be here utilized in place of the blade-holder 17.

Variations may be resorted to Within the scope of the invention, andportions of the improvements may be used Without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l 1. A sharpening machinefor double-edged razor-blades having the combination of a rotatablesharpening roll, a rotatable bladeholder, mechanism for driving saidroll and holder, said holder having an element adapted to lock the bladethereto, a casing for the machine, a cover for said casing, and means tolock said element in operative state by the closing of said cover.

2. A sharpening machine for razor-blades having the combination of arotatable sharpening roll, a drive shaft, mechanism to rotate said rol]alternately in opposite directions While said shaft is driven in onedirection, a pivoted blade-holder, means to reverse said blade-holder,means to retain said I holder to maintain the blade in operativesharpening relation to said roll, and means to maintain said retainingmeans in operative state during the sharpening operation.

3- A sharpening machine for double-edged razor-blades having thecombination of a rotatable sharpening roll, a drive shaft, mechanism torotate said roll alternately in opposite directions While said shaft isdriven in one direction, a pivoted blade-holder, means to reverse saidblade-holder, an arm extending from said holder to retain the latter insharpening relation to said roll, and a rotatable member bearing againstsaid arm to retain it in operative position during the sharpening of theblade.

4. A stropping machine for double-edged razor blades comprising astropping element,

a blade-holder, an arm secured to said bladeholder, a member, said armriding on said member and keeping the blade in tension against thestropping element, an operating handle, and means actuated by saidhandle to dispose all four edge-sides of the blade to said stroppingelement individually and successively.

'5. A stropping machine for double-edged razor-blades comprising astropping element, a blade-holder, an arm secured to said bladeholder, amember, said arm riding on said member and keeping the blade in tensionagainst the stropping element, means to render said tension yieldable,an operating handle, and means actuated by said handle to dispose allfour edge-sides of the blade to said stropping element individually andsuccessively.

6. A sharpening machine for double-edged razor blades having thecombination of a rotatable sharpening roll, a rotatable bladeholder,means for rotating said roll alternately in opposite directions, andmeans for rotating said blade-holder in one direction only.

7. A sharpening machine for double'edged razor blades having thecombination of a rotatable sharpening roll, a drive-shaft, mechanism forrotating said roll alternately in opposite directions While said shaftis re velved in one direction, a rotatable bladeholder, and means drivenby said shaft for rotating said blade-holder in one direction only.

Signed at the city of New York, in the county of New York, and State ofNew York, this 2nd day of March, A. D. 1922.

JOHN HOLTZMAN.

